Line of Sight, Cover and Distance

Line of Sight

Q: Do characters block line of sight?

A: No, characters do not block line of sight, although they do grant cover. Only walls or certain effects prevent line of sight. If terrain or an effect blocks or prevents line of sight, its description will say so explicitly.

Q: Can you clarify how line of sight and cover are determined?

A: There are subtle differences in how to determine line of sight and cover. Though they both require you to trace lines on the battle grid, you can (and often do) use a different line to determine cover from the one you use to establish line of sight. Let's look first at how to determine line of sight and then cover:

Line of sight exists if the attacking player can trace a line from any part of the attacker's space to any part of the defender's space without crossing or touching a wall. This means that a traced line doesn't provide line of sight if it even nicks the corner or runs along the edge of a wall. (Note, a wall square with a beveled corner is treated just like a normal wall that extends to the corner. Tracing line of sight through the small cut off area is not allowed.) Low objects and other characters do not block line of sight. You only need to be able to trace a single line from one character to another; if one traced line nicks the corner of a wall but other clear lines exist between the characters, there is line of sight. You can check as often as you need to. After a few skirmishes, it will become second nature and you won't need to try more than once or twice to handle most situations.

To determine whether the defender has cover, the attacking player chooses a corner of any square in the attacking character's space. (For big attackers, you can even choose the corners of squares along the sides of or within the attacking character's space.) The attacking player can -- and often must -- choose a corner that can't be used to establish line of sight. Next, the attacking player attempts to trace unobstructed lines from that corner to all parts of the defending character's space. (For big defenders, this means all parts of all squares of the defender's space.) A line is unobstructed if it crosses neither walls nor squares containing low objects or characters. Unlike line of sight, just touching one of those things doesn't provide cover; the traced line must actually cross the square containing the character or terrain feature. (Exception: When determining cover, an attacker can ignore low objects in its own space and any adjacent squares.) If the attacking player can trace unobstructed lines to all parts of the defender's space, the defender does not have cover. However, if one or more of the traced lines is obstructed, the defender has cover (+4 bonus to Defense).

Q: A Wampa is a Large creature that takes up 4 squares. If it is adjacent to an enemy but 1 or more of its squares counts as having cover and is not adjacent to the enemy's square, does it get the bonus to Defense? The rules say that adjacent enemies never get cover, but not all its squares are adjacent to the attacker.

A: If an attacker is adjacent to a defender, the defender doesn't get cover -- even if some of the defender's space would count as having cover.

Q: How do beveled corner squares affect line of sight?

A: The do not affect line of sight at all. They affect movement. They are treated exactly as if they are normal corners in regards to line of sight, including the situation where there are two beveled corners directly opposite each other across a corner. In such cases characters don't have line of sight even if it looks like they might count as adjacent. They are not adjacent, do not have line of sight, cannot attack, and do not give up attacks of opportunity.

Cover

Q: Does the target of an attack get a cumulative +4 bonus to Defense for each terrain feature or character who provides cover?

A: No. Cover grants a flat +4 bonus to Defense regardless of the number of terrain features or characters granting cover to the target.

Q: Does a Large character gain cover if any part of it is in (or behind) a square containing low objects, or does the whole body have to be in (or behind) low objects?

A: If any part of the Large character is in or behind a square containing low objects, it gains the benefit of cover.

Q: If a player wants a particular enemy to have cover for tactical reasons, can the player choose a corner that gives cover even when an alternate corner would provide clear line of sight?

A: No. An enemy either has cover or it doesn't and the player cannot manipulate this. The choice refers to the ability to select from among all the possible corners in an attempt to find one that removes cover and also in using different corners for checking cover for different enemies. If a corner exists that does not grant cover, one that grants cover may not be used.

Q: If my character is right next to a wall, and an enemy is on the opposite side of the wall but within line of sight through an open door, does it have cover? It seems like the cover check is legally running along or nicking the wall thus not granting cover.

A: The character has cover. The cover line may only run along one side of the wall or the other and in the example the wall is being passed through, even if it's right at the start of the line.

Q: Does a large or bigger character use one of the four corners of the space for determining cover, or can it use any of the corners on any of the squares in its space?

A: Any of the corners in any of the squares.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 670